US11320321B2 - Determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system - Google Patents

Determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US11320321B2
US11320321B2 US17/276,862 US201917276862A US11320321B2 US 11320321 B2 US11320321 B2 US 11320321B2 US 201917276862 A US201917276862 A US 201917276862A US 11320321 B2 US11320321 B2 US 11320321B2
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
tsep
characteristic
value
temperature
parameters
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Active
Application number
US17/276,862
Other versions
US20210318179A1 (en
Inventor
Angus Bryant
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH
Original Assignee
Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH filed Critical Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH
Assigned to MASCHINENFABRIK REINHAUSEN GMBH reassignment MASCHINENFABRIK REINHAUSEN GMBH ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: Bryant, Angus
Publication of US20210318179A1 publication Critical patent/US20210318179A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US11320321B2 publication Critical patent/US11320321B2/en
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Images

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01K—MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01K7/00—Measuring temperature based on the use of electric or magnetic elements directly sensitive to heat ; Power supply therefor, e.g. using thermoelectric elements
    • G01K7/42—Circuits effecting compensation of thermal inertia; Circuits for predicting the stationary value of a temperature
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01K—MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01K13/00—Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
    • G01K13/10—Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes for measuring temperature within piled or stacked materials
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01K—MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01K7/00—Measuring temperature based on the use of electric or magnetic elements directly sensitive to heat ; Power supply therefor, e.g. using thermoelectric elements
    • G01K7/16—Measuring temperature based on the use of electric or magnetic elements directly sensitive to heat ; Power supply therefor, e.g. using thermoelectric elements using resistive elements
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01K—MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01K7/00—Measuring temperature based on the use of electric or magnetic elements directly sensitive to heat ; Power supply therefor, e.g. using thermoelectric elements
    • G01K7/42—Circuits effecting compensation of thermal inertia; Circuits for predicting the stationary value of a temperature
    • G01K2007/422—Dummy objects used for estimating temperature of real objects
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01K—MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01K2217/00—Temperature measurement using electric or magnetic components already present in the system to be measured

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method for determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system and to an electric or electronic system.
  • characteristic temperatures may be of particular interest due to their effects for example on reliability, lifetime or rate of degradation.
  • a characteristic temperature exceeding a certain absolute limit can also lead to the destruction of the device or system. Therefore, it may be vital or at least desirable to determine or monitor a characteristic temperature during operation of the system or device.
  • a direct measurement of the characteristic temperature of interest may be impractical or not feasible, for example due to a harsh environment.
  • this may be the case for junction temperatures of power semiconductor devices, since during operation they typically are electrically “live” and in a highly noisy environment.
  • Other examples include a winding temperature of a power transformer or reactor or a characteristic temperature within an on-load tap changer, for example a resistor temperature.
  • An embodiment of the present invention provides a method that determines a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system.
  • the method includes: during operation of the system, measuring one or more characteristic parameters of the system; estimating the characteristic temperature based on a thermal model of the system and a first subset of the measured characteristic parameters; predicting a first value for a temperature-sensitive electrical parameter (TSEP) based on a TSEP model and the estimated characteristic temperature; determining a second value for the TSEP based on a second subset of the measured characteristic parameters; comparing the first value and the second value for the TSEP; and adapting the thermal model or the TSEP model based on a result of the comparison.
  • TSEP temperature-sensitive electrical parameter
  • FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary implementation of method according to the improved concept
  • FIG. 2A shows a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an electric or electronic system according to the improved concept
  • FIG. 2B shows a block diagram of a further exemplary embodiment of an electric or electronic system according to the improved concept.
  • FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a further exemplary embodiment of an electric or electronic system according to the improved concept.
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide an improved concept for determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system that may be performed during normal operation of the system or device and does not require a calibration prior to the operation.
  • the improved concept of embodiments of the present invention is based on the idea to implement an auto- or self-calibration of the system by estimating the characteristic temperature based on a thermal model of the system and predicting a first value of a temperature-sensitive electrical parameter, TSEP, of the system based on a TSEP model and an output of the thermal model.
  • the first value is compared to a second value for the TSEP based on a measurement.
  • the thermal and/or of the TSEP model are then adapted to match the two values for the TSEP.
  • a method for determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system comprises measuring one or more characteristic parameters, in particular electric parameters and/or thermal parameters and/or temperatures, of the system during operation of the system and estimating the characteristic temperature of the system based on a thermal model of the system and on a first subset of the measured parameters. Then a first value for a TSEP is predicted based on a TSEP model and on the estimated characteristic temperature. A second value for the TSEP is determined based on a second subset of the measured parameters. Then, the first value for the TSEP is compared to the second value for the TSEP and the thermal model and/or the TSEP model is adapted based on a result of the comparison.
  • characteristic parameters in particular electric parameters and/or thermal parameters and/or temperatures
  • the first and the second subset may contain one or more parameters, respectively.
  • the subsets may overlap or be disjoint.
  • the subsets may be identical, in particular be identical and contain only one parameter, respectively.
  • the TSEP model may be a pre-determined model. The same holds for the thermal model.
  • the thermal model may contain a model for determining a thermal impedance of the system.
  • the thermal model may for example be based on or include a finite-element method, a reduced-order model, a thermal resistor-capacitor network model.
  • the reduced-order model or the thermal resistor-capacitor network model may be fitted to the finite-element model.
  • Performing the method, in particular the measurements, during operation means performing it during a normal or productive operation for which the system is intended. In particular, it is neither necessarily performed during production of the system or device, in a test environment nor in a dedicated calibration mode of operation.
  • the method comprises running the electric or electronic system or a part of it through a training sequence for example before an initial, in particular initial normal, operation of the system.
  • the training sequence may improve a convergence of the auto-calibration according to the improved concept.
  • the TSEP is a TSEP of the system, in particular of an electric or electronic device comprised by the system.
  • the TSEP model being adapted may for example mean that parameters used to predict the TSEP based on the characteristic temperature, for example fit parameters or regression parameters, are adapted.
  • the thermal model being adapted may for example mean that parameters used to determine the thermal impedance are adapted.
  • Comparing the first and the second value for the TSEP may for example comprise determining a difference between these values.
  • the result of the comparison may for example comprise the difference.
  • a final result of the method may for example be given by the characteristic temperature which will be valid in case of matching first and second value for the TSEP.
  • the method comprises predicting a first value for a further TSEP, in particular of the system or a device of the system, based on a further TSEP model and the estimated characteristic temperature.
  • a second value for the further TSEP is determined based on the second subset of the measured parameters.
  • the first value for the further TSEP is compared to the second value for the further TSEP.
  • the adaption of the thermal model or the TSEP model is based on a result of the comparison of the first value and the second value for the further TSEP as well as on the result of the comparison of the first value and the second value for the TSEP.
  • Matching two independent TSEPs by adapting said models may further improve the accuracy of the temperature estimation.
  • the method further comprises repeating at least the steps of measuring the characteristic parameters, estimating the characteristic temperature and predicting the first value for the characteristic temperature.
  • the adapted thermal model is used instead of the thermal model and/or the adapted TSEP model is used instead of the TSEP model.
  • the repeated steps may be repeated several times. For each repetition, the adapted thermal or TSEP model of the preceding repetition is used. For example, the repeated steps may be repeated until the difference between the first and the second value for the TSEP is smaller than a predefined threshold and, if applicable, the difference between the first and the second value for the further TSEP is smaller than a predefined further threshold.
  • the characteristic temperature is a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic device comprised by the system.
  • the electric or electronic system is a power electronic system, for example a power converter
  • the characteristic temperature is a characteristic temperature, in particular a junction temperature, of a power semiconductor device comprised by the system.
  • the first subset of the one or more measured characteristic parameters comprises an on-state, that is forward, current of the power semiconductor device and/or an on-state, that is forward, voltage of the power semiconductor device and/or an off-state voltage of the power semiconductor device and/or a total on-state duration of the power semiconductor device within a respective measurement interval and/or a total off-state duration of the power semiconductor device within the respective measurement interval and/or a reference temperature of the power electronic system.
  • the reference temperature is a baseplate temperature or a thermistor temperature of the power electronic system.
  • the second subset of the one or more measured characteristic parameters comprises the on-state current and/or the on-state voltage of the power semiconductor device.
  • the TSEP and/or the further TSEP is given by the on-state voltage of the power semiconductor device, in particular at a predefined on-state current of the power semiconductor device, a gate threshold voltage of the power semiconductor device, an internal gate resistance of the power semiconductor device or a characteristic switching parameter of the power semiconductor device, in particular at a predefined on-state voltage or off-state voltage or on-state current.
  • the characteristic switching parameter is given by a rate of change of current with respect to time di/dt, a rate of change of voltage with respect to time dv/dt, a switching peak current or a switching peak voltage.
  • the step of estimating the characteristic temperature comprises determining a power dissipation due to the device and using the power dissipation as an input to the thermal model.
  • the power dissipation comprises a switching power dissipation and/or a conduction power dissipation of the power semiconductor device.
  • the step of estimating the characteristic temperature comprises determining a cross-coupling power dissipation due to a further device or several further devices of the system and using the cross-coupling power dissipation as an input, in particular a further input, to the thermal model.
  • an electric or electronic system comprising an electric or electronic device, a measuring unit and a computing unit.
  • the measuring unit is configured to measure one or more characteristic parameters of the device during operation of the electric or electronic system.
  • the computing unit is configured to estimate a characteristic temperature of the device based on a thermal model of the system and a first subset of the measured parameters, to predict a first value for a TSEP based on a TSEP model and the estimated characteristic temperature, to determine a second value for the TSEP based on a second subset of the measured parameters, to compare the first value and the second value for the TSEP and to adapt the thermal model or the TSEP model based on a result of the comparison.
  • the electric or electronic system comprises a transformer, in particular a power transformer, for example filled with an insulation agent, in particular a liquid insulation agent.
  • the electric or electronic device comprises a winding of the transformer and the characteristic temperature is given by a winding temperature, in particular a hot spot winding temperature, of the transformer.
  • the electric or electronic system comprises a reactor, for example a shunt reactor, or an inductor for example filled with an isolation medium.
  • the electric or electronic device comprises a winding of the reactor and the characteristic temperature is given by a winding temperature, in particular a hot spot winding temperature, of the reactor.
  • the electric or electronic system comprises an on-load tap changer, for example an on-load tap changer of the resistor type.
  • the characteristic temperature is given by a temperature within the on-load tap changer, for example a temperature of a resistor of the on-load tap-changer.
  • the electric or electronic system comprises a power electronic system and the electric or electronic device comprises a power semiconductor device.
  • the characteristic temperature is given by a junction temperature of the power semiconductor device.
  • the power semiconductor comprises a transistor, for example an insulated-gate bipolar transistor, IGBT, or a bipolar junction transistor, BJT, or a MOS field effect transistor, MOSFET, or a junction field effect transistor, JFET, or a high-electron-mobility transistor, HEMT.
  • a transistor for example an insulated-gate bipolar transistor, IGBT, or a bipolar junction transistor, BJT, or a MOS field effect transistor, MOSFET, or a junction field effect transistor, JFET, or a high-electron-mobility transistor, HEMT.
  • the power semiconductor comprises a thyristor or a diode, for example a Schottky diode or a PIN diode.
  • the power electronic system comprises a power converter and the power converter comprises the power semiconductor device.
  • the power electronic system comprises a solid-state circuit breaker, a solid-state relay, a thyristor switch or a static VAR compensator, which comprises the power semiconductor device.
  • FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary implementation of a method according to the improved concept.
  • the electric or electronic system comprises a power converter with a power semiconductor device.
  • the following discussion with respect to FIG. 1 applies analogously for other types of electric or electronic systems, as explained for example with respect to FIG. 3 .
  • the power converter During the operation of the power converter, one or more characteristic parameters of the system are measured.
  • a reference temperature T b of the power converter and plurality of electrical parameters of the power converter including a total off-state duration t off of the power semiconductor device, a total on-state duration V on of the power semiconductor device, an on-state current I on of the power semiconductor device, an off-state voltage V off of the power semiconductor device and an on-state voltage V on of the power semiconductor device is measured within a predetermined measurement interval of duration T i .
  • a switching power loss Psw is determined from the on- and off-state durations t on , t off , the on-state current I on , and the off-state voltage V off .
  • a conduction power loss P cond is determined from the on- and off-state durations t on , t off , the on-state current I on , and the on-state voltage V on , for example according to the relation.
  • the conduction power loss P cond and the switching power Psw loss may be added up and their sum may be used as an input for a thermal model M_th.
  • the sum corresponds to a power dissipation due to self-heating P sh of the power semiconductor device.
  • a cross-coupling power dissipation P cc due to further devices of the power converter, which may affect the junction temperature T j of the power semiconductor device may be determined and used as an additional input to the thermal model M_th.
  • An output of the thermal model M_th may represent a temperature difference T a-b between the junction temperature T j and the reference temperature T b , which may for example be a baseplate temperature or a temperature of an internal thermistor of the of the power converter. Therefore, the reference temperature T b may be added to the output of the thermal model M_th, resulting in an estimate for the junction temperature T j .
  • the estimated junction temperature T j may be used as an input to a TSEP model M_TSEP.
  • An output of the TSEP model M_TSEP represents a first value V 1 for one or more TSEPs of the power converter, in particular the power semiconductor device.
  • the one or more TSEPs may include the on-state voltage V on , a gate threshold voltage, an internal gate resistance and/or a characteristic switching parameter of the power semiconductor device.
  • the TSEP model M_TSEP may for example use the fact that, in a steady state of the power semiconductor device, a rate of change of the junction temperature T j is equal to a rate of change of the reference temperature T b for a constant power dissipation. Therefore, the junction temperature T j may follow the reference temperature T b with an offset. The offset may correspond to a respective thermal resistance multiplied by the constant power dissipation. Furthermore, also the on-state voltage V on follows the rate of temperature change, albeit with a scale factor.
  • a second value V 2 for the one or more TSEPs is obtained from a subset of the measured parameters, in the shown example from the on-state current I on and/or the on-state voltage V on (see calculation block CALC).
  • the second value V 2 depends only on the on-state voltage V on or may be equal to the on-state voltage V on . In the latter case, no calculation step CALC is necessary.
  • the on-state current I on and the calculation step CALC may be necessary.
  • Respective first and second values V 1 , V 2 of the TSEPs are compared to each other, in particular respective differences are determined.
  • thermal parameters P_th of the thermal model M_th and/or TSEP parameters P_TSEP of the TSEP model M_TSEP are adapted and used to adapt the models M_th, M_TSEP accordingly.
  • the junction temperature T j may be considered as a final result of the junction temperature determination. Otherwise, the junction temperature T j may be determined again based on the adapted models M_th, M_TSEP and so forth.
  • FIG. 2A shows a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an electric or electronic system according to the present invention.
  • the system comprises a power converter PC containing one or more (for simplicity only one is shown) power semiconductor devices PS, for example IGBTs, BJTs, MOSFETs, HEMTs, JFETs, thyristors or diodes.
  • power semiconductor devices PS for example IGBTs, BJTs, MOSFETs, HEMTs, JFETs, thyristors or diodes.
  • the circuit symbol of an IGBT is shown in FIG. 2A only as a non-limiting example.
  • the power converter PC further comprises a measuring unit MU for determining electrical parameters of the power converter PC, in particular of the power semiconductor device PS, including for example one or more of the measured parameters explained with respect to FIG. 1 .
  • the power converter PC also comprises a computing unit CU for performing one or more of the computational steps described with respect to FIG. 1 .
  • the computing unit CU and the measuring unit MU may for example be comprised by a drive unit or a control unit of the power converter PC or may be part of a separate circuit of the power converter PC.
  • FIG. 2B shows a block diagram of a further exemplary embodiment of an electric or electronic system according to the improved concept.
  • the system of FIG. 2B is identical to the system of FIG. 2A , except for the arrangement of the computing unit CU and the measuring unit MU.
  • the computing unit CU and the measuring unit MU are not part of the power converter PC but are comprised by a circuit C coupled to the power converter PC.
  • the circuit may for example comprise a microprocessor including the computing unit CU.
  • FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a further exemplary embodiment of an electric or electronic system according to the improved concept.
  • the system comprises a power transformer or a reactor, in particular a shunt reactor, with a tank T.
  • a power transformer or a reactor in particular a shunt reactor
  • One or more windings W 1 , W 2 , W 3 are arranged within the tank T.
  • the tank T may for example for be filled or partly filled with an insulation agent IM, for example a transformer oil.
  • the characteristic temperature is a winding temperature or hot spot temperature of one of the windings W 1 , W 2 , W 3 .
  • the winding temperature replaces the junction temperature Tj.
  • An ambient temperature of the transformer or reactor or a temperature of the insulation agent IM may replace the base plate temperature T b of FIG. 1 .
  • the total on- and off-state durations t on , t off , as well as the on- and off-state voltages V on , V off and the on-state current I on of FIG. 1 may be replaced by appropriate quantities affecting the power dissipation of the transformer or reactor.
  • all necessary inputs to a thermal model M_th of the transformer or reactor are case dependent and known or straight forwardly derivable to the skilled reader.
  • the TSEP for which the first and the second values V 1 , V 2 are determined may be replaced by any temperature-sensitive parameter of the transformer or rector, for example an electrical resistance of one of the windings W 1 , W 2 , W 3 .
  • the method described with respect to FIG. 1 may also be carried out analogously for the transformer or reactor.
  • the method described with respect to FIG. 1 may also be carried out analogously for an on-load tap changer.
  • the improved concept of the present invention By means of a method or a system according to the improved concept of the present invention, it is possible to determine the characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system without prior calibration and during normal operation of the system. This is achieved by using a hybrid approach of simulation and estimation. Forcing the determined values for the TSEP to match results in the whole system being characterized based on easily accessible quantities.
  • the improved concept of the present invention is widely applicable to many kinds of electric or electronic systems, which requires merely a suitable choice of parameters.
  • Another advantage of the improved concept of the present invention is that no prior knowledge of the device characteristics is required except for an approximate estimate of the TSEP characteristics.
  • the latter may depend on a mathematical model being used, including least square fitting, adaptive filtering, Kalman filtering and principal components analysis. Datasheet parameters may also be sufficient.
  • Implementations according to the improved concept of the present invention may involve junction temperature estimation of a power semiconductor device, which may enable several features in next generation of “smart” power converters, including: dynamic rating control (intelligent over-rate/de-rate), optimized parallel inverter stack current sharing, condition monitoring (detection of wear-out and abnormal operation, giving predictive maintenance), temperature cycle counting and remaining useful life estimation, improved validation of inverter stack design during development and type testing, improved over-temperature detection.
  • dynamic rating control intelligent over-rate/de-rate
  • optimized parallel inverter stack current sharing condition monitoring (detection of wear-out and abnormal operation, giving predictive maintenance), temperature cycle counting and remaining useful life estimation
  • condition monitoring detection of wear-out and abnormal operation, giving predictive maintenance
  • temperature cycle counting temperature cycle counting and remaining useful life estimation
  • improved validation of inverter stack design during development and type testing improved over-temperature detection.
  • Resulting benefits to manufacturers of power converters may include an optimized performance (for example current rating or efficiency) versus costs, for example through reduction of margins.
  • Benefits to the end users of power converters may include the early detection of abnormal operation and potentially reduced operating costs.
  • an on-state voltage drop or a gate threshold voltage of an IGBT may have a variation range of ⁇ 100 mV or even more for 95% of production batches.
  • an on-state voltage drop or a gate threshold voltage of an IGBT may have a variation range of ⁇ 100 mV or even more for 95% of production batches.
  • the recitation of “at least one of A, B and C” should be interpreted as one or more of a group of elements consisting of A, B and C, and should not be interpreted as requiring at least one of each of the listed elements A, B and C, regardless of whether A, B and C are related as categories or otherwise.
  • the recitation of “A, B and/or C” or “at least one of A, B or C” should be interpreted as including any singular entity from the listed elements, e.g., A, any subset from the listed elements, e.g., A and B, or the entire list of elements A, B and C.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Power Conversion In General (AREA)

Abstract

A method determines a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system. The method includes: during operation of the system, measuring one or more characteristic parameters of the system; estimating the characteristic temperature based on a thermal model of the system and a first subset of the measured characteristic parameters; predicting a first value for a temperature-sensitive electrical parameter (TSEP) based on a TSEP model and the estimated characteristic temperature; determining a second value for the TSEP based on a second subset of the measured characteristic parameters; comparing the first value and the second value for the TSEP; and adapting the thermal model or the TSEP model based on a result of the comparison.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS
This application is a U.S. National Phase Application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2019/075227, filed on Sep. 19, 2019, and claims benefit to European Patent Application No. EP 18196070.9, filed on Sep. 21, 2018. The International Application was published in English on Mar. 26, 2020 as WO 2020/058435 under PCT Article 21(2).
FIELD
The present invention relates to a method for determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system and to an electric or electronic system.
BACKGROUND
In electric or electronic systems or devices, specific characteristic temperatures may be of particular interest due to their effects for example on reliability, lifetime or rate of degradation. In some cases, a characteristic temperature exceeding a certain absolute limit can also lead to the destruction of the device or system. Therefore, it may be vital or at least desirable to determine or monitor a characteristic temperature during operation of the system or device.
However, in many situations a direct measurement of the characteristic temperature of interest may be impractical or not feasible, for example due to a harsh environment. In particular, this may be the case for junction temperatures of power semiconductor devices, since during operation they typically are electrically “live” and in a highly noisy environment. Other examples include a winding temperature of a power transformer or reactor or a characteristic temperature within an on-load tap changer, for example a resistor temperature.
Existing approaches to an indirect estimation of such characteristic temperatures require a prior calibration of each individual system or device, which is impractical in industrial applications and in particular virtually impossible in case of semiconductor devices. Other approaches require specific laboratory settings or dedicated operation modes of the system or device, in some cases also a specific compatible load.
SUMMARY
An embodiment of the present invention provides a method that determines a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system. The method includes: during operation of the system, measuring one or more characteristic parameters of the system; estimating the characteristic temperature based on a thermal model of the system and a first subset of the measured characteristic parameters; predicting a first value for a temperature-sensitive electrical parameter (TSEP) based on a TSEP model and the estimated characteristic temperature; determining a second value for the TSEP based on a second subset of the measured characteristic parameters; comparing the first value and the second value for the TSEP; and adapting the thermal model or the TSEP model based on a result of the comparison.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be described in even greater detail below based on the exemplary figures. The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments. Other features and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention will become apparent by reading the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawings which illustrate the following:
FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary implementation of method according to the improved concept;
FIG. 2A shows a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an electric or electronic system according to the improved concept;
FIG. 2B shows a block diagram of a further exemplary embodiment of an electric or electronic system according to the improved concept; and
FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a further exemplary embodiment of an electric or electronic system according to the improved concept.
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments of the present invention provide an improved concept for determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system that may be performed during normal operation of the system or device and does not require a calibration prior to the operation.
The improved concept of embodiments of the present invention is based on the idea to implement an auto- or self-calibration of the system by estimating the characteristic temperature based on a thermal model of the system and predicting a first value of a temperature-sensitive electrical parameter, TSEP, of the system based on a TSEP model and an output of the thermal model. The first value is compared to a second value for the TSEP based on a measurement. The thermal and/or of the TSEP model are then adapted to match the two values for the TSEP.
According to the improved concept of embodiments of the present invention, a method for determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system is provided. The method comprises measuring one or more characteristic parameters, in particular electric parameters and/or thermal parameters and/or temperatures, of the system during operation of the system and estimating the characteristic temperature of the system based on a thermal model of the system and on a first subset of the measured parameters. Then a first value for a TSEP is predicted based on a TSEP model and on the estimated characteristic temperature. A second value for the TSEP is determined based on a second subset of the measured parameters. Then, the first value for the TSEP is compared to the second value for the TSEP and the thermal model and/or the TSEP model is adapted based on a result of the comparison.
The first and the second subset may contain one or more parameters, respectively. The subsets may overlap or be disjoint. Alternatively, the subsets may be identical, in particular be identical and contain only one parameter, respectively.
The TSEP model may be a pre-determined model. The same holds for the thermal model. The thermal model may contain a model for determining a thermal impedance of the system. The thermal model may for example be based on or include a finite-element method, a reduced-order model, a thermal resistor-capacitor network model. In particular, the reduced-order model or the thermal resistor-capacitor network model may be fitted to the finite-element model.
Performing the method, in particular the measurements, during operation means performing it during a normal or productive operation for which the system is intended. In particular, it is neither necessarily performed during production of the system or device, in a test environment nor in a dedicated calibration mode of operation.
In some implementations, the method comprises running the electric or electronic system or a part of it through a training sequence for example before an initial, in particular initial normal, operation of the system. The training sequence may improve a convergence of the auto-calibration according to the improved concept.
The TSEP is a TSEP of the system, in particular of an electric or electronic device comprised by the system.
The TSEP model being adapted may for example mean that parameters used to predict the TSEP based on the characteristic temperature, for example fit parameters or regression parameters, are adapted.
The thermal model being adapted may for example mean that parameters used to determine the thermal impedance are adapted.
Comparing the first and the second value for the TSEP may for example comprise determining a difference between these values. The result of the comparison may for example comprise the difference.
By means of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention as described, the drawbacks of both approaches, temperature simulation based on thermal modelling and temperature estimation based on a measured TSEP, are overcome. In particular, characteristic temperatures from both approaches are not compared but instead respective TSEP values are. In this way one gets rid of the need for calibrating the temperature estimation based on measured TSEPs. The accuracy of deducing the second value for the TSEP will not change throughout the lifetime of the system and therefore will track correctly any changes in electrical and thermal parameters, for example due to degradation or measurement circuit drift. On the other hand, deducing the first value for the TSEP will correctly reflect ambient temperature or other temperatures of the system affecting the characteristic temperature and for example power losses of the system. This can be viewed as using the thermal model to calibrate the TSEPs, or using the measurements to keep the thermal model tracking correctly. Either way, the full electro-thermal system is characterized, namely both an effective electrical calibration and a thermal characterization.
A final result of the method may for example be given by the characteristic temperature which will be valid in case of matching first and second value for the TSEP.
According to several embodiments, the method comprises predicting a first value for a further TSEP, in particular of the system or a device of the system, based on a further TSEP model and the estimated characteristic temperature. A second value for the further TSEP is determined based on the second subset of the measured parameters. The first value for the further TSEP is compared to the second value for the further TSEP. The adaption of the thermal model or the TSEP model is based on a result of the comparison of the first value and the second value for the further TSEP as well as on the result of the comparison of the first value and the second value for the TSEP.
Matching two independent TSEPs by adapting said models may further improve the accuracy of the temperature estimation.
According to several embodiments, the method further comprises repeating at least the steps of measuring the characteristic parameters, estimating the characteristic temperature and predicting the first value for the characteristic temperature. For the repetition, the adapted thermal model is used instead of the thermal model and/or the adapted TSEP model is used instead of the TSEP model.
In order to improve the temperature estimation, the repeated steps may be repeated several times. For each repetition, the adapted thermal or TSEP model of the preceding repetition is used. For example, the repeated steps may be repeated until the difference between the first and the second value for the TSEP is smaller than a predefined threshold and, if applicable, the difference between the first and the second value for the further TSEP is smaller than a predefined further threshold.
According to several embodiments, the characteristic temperature is a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic device comprised by the system.
According to several embodiments, the electric or electronic system is a power electronic system, for example a power converter, and the characteristic temperature is a characteristic temperature, in particular a junction temperature, of a power semiconductor device comprised by the system.
According to several embodiments, the first subset of the one or more measured characteristic parameters comprises an on-state, that is forward, current of the power semiconductor device and/or an on-state, that is forward, voltage of the power semiconductor device and/or an off-state voltage of the power semiconductor device and/or a total on-state duration of the power semiconductor device within a respective measurement interval and/or a total off-state duration of the power semiconductor device within the respective measurement interval and/or a reference temperature of the power electronic system.
According to several embodiments, the reference temperature is a baseplate temperature or a thermistor temperature of the power electronic system.
According to several embodiments, the second subset of the one or more measured characteristic parameters comprises the on-state current and/or the on-state voltage of the power semiconductor device.
According to several embodiments, the TSEP and/or the further TSEP is given by the on-state voltage of the power semiconductor device, in particular at a predefined on-state current of the power semiconductor device, a gate threshold voltage of the power semiconductor device, an internal gate resistance of the power semiconductor device or a characteristic switching parameter of the power semiconductor device, in particular at a predefined on-state voltage or off-state voltage or on-state current.
In some implementations, the characteristic switching parameter is given by a rate of change of current with respect to time di/dt, a rate of change of voltage with respect to time dv/dt, a switching peak current or a switching peak voltage.
According to several embodiments, the step of estimating the characteristic temperature comprises determining a power dissipation due to the device and using the power dissipation as an input to the thermal model.
According to several embodiments, the power dissipation comprises a switching power dissipation and/or a conduction power dissipation of the power semiconductor device.
According to several embodiments, the step of estimating the characteristic temperature comprises determining a cross-coupling power dissipation due to a further device or several further devices of the system and using the cross-coupling power dissipation as an input, in particular a further input, to the thermal model.
According to the improved concept, also an electric or electronic system is provided. The system comprises an electric or electronic device, a measuring unit and a computing unit. The measuring unit is configured to measure one or more characteristic parameters of the device during operation of the electric or electronic system.
The computing unit is configured to estimate a characteristic temperature of the device based on a thermal model of the system and a first subset of the measured parameters, to predict a first value for a TSEP based on a TSEP model and the estimated characteristic temperature, to determine a second value for the TSEP based on a second subset of the measured parameters, to compare the first value and the second value for the TSEP and to adapt the thermal model or the TSEP model based on a result of the comparison.
According to several embodiments, the electric or electronic system comprises a transformer, in particular a power transformer, for example filled with an insulation agent, in particular a liquid insulation agent. The electric or electronic device comprises a winding of the transformer and the characteristic temperature is given by a winding temperature, in particular a hot spot winding temperature, of the transformer.
According to several embodiments, the electric or electronic system comprises a reactor, for example a shunt reactor, or an inductor for example filled with an isolation medium. The electric or electronic device comprises a winding of the reactor and the characteristic temperature is given by a winding temperature, in particular a hot spot winding temperature, of the reactor.
According to several embodiments, the electric or electronic system comprises an on-load tap changer, for example an on-load tap changer of the resistor type. The characteristic temperature is given by a temperature within the on-load tap changer, for example a temperature of a resistor of the on-load tap-changer.
According to several embodiments, the electric or electronic system comprises a power electronic system and the electric or electronic device comprises a power semiconductor device. The characteristic temperature is given by a junction temperature of the power semiconductor device.
According to several embodiments, the power semiconductor comprises a transistor, for example an insulated-gate bipolar transistor, IGBT, or a bipolar junction transistor, BJT, or a MOS field effect transistor, MOSFET, or a junction field effect transistor, JFET, or a high-electron-mobility transistor, HEMT.
According to several embodiments, the power semiconductor comprises a thyristor or a diode, for example a Schottky diode or a PIN diode.
According to several embodiments, the power electronic system comprises a power converter and the power converter comprises the power semiconductor device.
According to several embodiments, the power electronic system comprises a solid-state circuit breaker, a solid-state relay, a thyristor switch or a static VAR compensator, which comprises the power semiconductor device.
Further implementations and embodiments of the electric or electronic system according to the improved concept follow readily from the various implementations and embodiments of the method according to the improved concept and vice versa. In particular, individual or several components or arrangements described with respect to the electric or electronic system may be implemented accordingly for performing a method according to the improved system.
In the following, the invention is explained in detail with respect to exemplary embodiments by reference to the drawings. Components that are functionally identical or have an identical effect may be denoted by identical reference signs. Identical components or components with identical functions or effects may be described only with respect to the figure where they occur first. Their description is not necessarily repeated in subsequent figures.
FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary implementation of a method according to the improved concept.
In the shown exemplary and non-limiting case, the electric or electronic system comprises a power converter with a power semiconductor device. The following discussion with respect to FIG. 1, however, applies analogously for other types of electric or electronic systems, as explained for example with respect to FIG. 3. During the operation of the power converter, one or more characteristic parameters of the system are measured. In the shown example, a reference temperature Tb of the power converter and plurality of electrical parameters of the power converter including a total off-state duration toff of the power semiconductor device, a total on-state duration Von of the power semiconductor device, an on-state current Ion of the power semiconductor device, an off-state voltage Voff of the power semiconductor device and an on-state voltage Von of the power semiconductor device is measured within a predetermined measurement interval of duration Ti.
For example, a switching power loss Psw is determined from the on- and off-state durations ton, toff, the on-state current Ion, and the off-state voltage Voff.
For example, a conduction power loss Pcond is determined from the on- and off-state durations ton, toff, the on-state current Ion, and the on-state voltage Von, for example according to the relation.
The conduction power loss Pcond and the switching power Psw loss may be added up and their sum may be used as an input for a thermal model M_th. The sum corresponds to a power dissipation due to self-heating Psh of the power semiconductor device. Optionally, a cross-coupling power dissipation Pcc due to further devices of the power converter, which may affect the junction temperature Tj of the power semiconductor device may be determined and used as an additional input to the thermal model M_th.
An output of the thermal model M_th may represent a temperature difference Ta-b between the junction temperature Tj and the reference temperature Tb, which may for example be a baseplate temperature or a temperature of an internal thermistor of the of the power converter. Therefore, the reference temperature Tb may be added to the output of the thermal model M_th, resulting in an estimate for the junction temperature Tj.
Then, the estimated junction temperature Tj may be used as an input to a TSEP model M_TSEP. An output of the TSEP model M_TSEP represents a first value V1 for one or more TSEPs of the power converter, in particular the power semiconductor device. The one or more TSEPs may include the on-state voltage Von, a gate threshold voltage, an internal gate resistance and/or a characteristic switching parameter of the power semiconductor device.
The TSEP model M_TSEP may for example use the fact that, in a steady state of the power semiconductor device, a rate of change of the junction temperature Tj is equal to a rate of change of the reference temperature Tb for a constant power dissipation. Therefore, the junction temperature Tj may follow the reference temperature Tb with an offset. The offset may correspond to a respective thermal resistance multiplied by the constant power dissipation. Furthermore, also the on-state voltage Von follows the rate of temperature change, albeit with a scale factor.
A second value V2 for the one or more TSEPs is obtained from a subset of the measured parameters, in the shown example from the on-state current Ion and/or the on-state voltage Von (see calculation block CALC). In a simple example, the second value V2 depends only on the on-state voltage Von or may be equal to the on-state voltage Von. In the latter case, no calculation step CALC is necessary. However, in alternative cases of more complex TSEPs, for example switching parameters of the power semiconductor device, also the on-state current Ion and the calculation step CALC may be necessary.
Respective first and second values V1, V2 of the TSEPs are compared to each other, in particular respective differences are determined. Depending on the differences, thermal parameters P_th of the thermal model M_th and/or TSEP parameters P_TSEP of the TSEP model M_TSEP are adapted and used to adapt the models M_th, M_TSEP accordingly.
In case the differences between the first and second values V1, V2 are sufficiently small, for example all lie below respective threshold values, the junction temperature Tj may be considered as a final result of the junction temperature determination. Otherwise, the junction temperature Tj may be determined again based on the adapted models M_th, M_TSEP and so forth.
FIG. 2A shows a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an electric or electronic system according to the present invention.
The system comprises a power converter PC containing one or more (for simplicity only one is shown) power semiconductor devices PS, for example IGBTs, BJTs, MOSFETs, HEMTs, JFETs, thyristors or diodes. The circuit symbol of an IGBT is shown in FIG. 2A only as a non-limiting example.
The power converter PC further comprises a measuring unit MU for determining electrical parameters of the power converter PC, in particular of the power semiconductor device PS, including for example one or more of the measured parameters explained with respect to FIG. 1.
The power converter PC also comprises a computing unit CU for performing one or more of the computational steps described with respect to FIG. 1.
The computing unit CU and the measuring unit MU may for example be comprised by a drive unit or a control unit of the power converter PC or may be part of a separate circuit of the power converter PC.
FIG. 2B shows a block diagram of a further exemplary embodiment of an electric or electronic system according to the improved concept.
The system of FIG. 2B is identical to the system of FIG. 2A, except for the arrangement of the computing unit CU and the measuring unit MU. In particular, the computing unit CU and the measuring unit MU are not part of the power converter PC but are comprised by a circuit C coupled to the power converter PC. The circuit may for example comprise a microprocessor including the computing unit CU.
FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a further exemplary embodiment of an electric or electronic system according to the improved concept.
The system comprises a power transformer or a reactor, in particular a shunt reactor, with a tank T. One or more windings W1, W2, W3 are arranged within the tank T. The tank T may for example for be filled or partly filled with an insulation agent IM, for example a transformer oil.
In such a system, the characteristic temperature is a winding temperature or hot spot temperature of one of the windings W1, W2, W3.
With respect to the discussion of FIG. 1, the winding temperature replaces the junction temperature Tj. An ambient temperature of the transformer or reactor or a temperature of the insulation agent IM may replace the base plate temperature Tb of FIG. 1. The total on- and off-state durations ton, toff, as well as the on- and off-state voltages Von, Voff and the on-state current Ion of FIG. 1 may be replaced by appropriate quantities affecting the power dissipation of the transformer or reactor. In fact, all necessary inputs to a thermal model M_th of the transformer or reactor are case dependent and known or straight forwardly derivable to the skilled reader. The TSEP for which the first and the second values V1, V2 are determined may be replaced by any temperature-sensitive parameter of the transformer or rector, for example an electrical resistance of one of the windings W1, W2, W3.
With these or other suitable replacements, the method described with respect to FIG. 1 may also be carried out analogously for the transformer or reactor.
With respective suitable replacements, the method described with respect to FIG. 1 may also be carried out analogously for an on-load tap changer.
By means of a method or a system according to the improved concept of the present invention, it is possible to determine the characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system without prior calibration and during normal operation of the system. This is achieved by using a hybrid approach of simulation and estimation. Forcing the determined values for the TSEP to match results in the whole system being characterized based on easily accessible quantities. The improved concept of the present invention is widely applicable to many kinds of electric or electronic systems, which requires merely a suitable choice of parameters.
An effective re-calibration of system or device temperature sensitivity throughout the life of the system is achieved. Therefore, long-term changes in electrical and thermal parameters are tracked throughout the lifetime of the device, meaning that a condition monitoring is inherently provided.
Another advantage of the improved concept of the present invention is that no prior knowledge of the device characteristics is required except for an approximate estimate of the TSEP characteristics. The latter may depend on a mathematical model being used, including least square fitting, adaptive filtering, Kalman filtering and principal components analysis. Datasheet parameters may also be sufficient.
In case of power converters, no changes to power converter modules are required, in particular no extra connections or sensors within the module are required.
Implementations according to the improved concept of the present invention may involve junction temperature estimation of a power semiconductor device, which may enable several features in next generation of “smart” power converters, including: dynamic rating control (intelligent over-rate/de-rate), optimized parallel inverter stack current sharing, condition monitoring (detection of wear-out and abnormal operation, giving predictive maintenance), temperature cycle counting and remaining useful life estimation, improved validation of inverter stack design during development and type testing, improved over-temperature detection.
Resulting benefits to manufacturers of power converters may include an optimized performance (for example current rating or efficiency) versus costs, for example through reduction of margins. Benefits to the end users of power converters may include the early detection of abnormal operation and potentially reduced operating costs.
To demonstrate the effect of lacking calibration in case the improved concept is not utilized, product variations of an IGBT for use in a power converter are considered as an example. Typically, an on-state voltage drop or a gate threshold voltage of an IGBT may have a variation range of ±100 mV or even more for 95% of production batches. When combined with a typical TSEP sensitivity of 1-10 mV/K this gives an error in the range of 10-100° C. which would make junction temperature estimation pointless. This highlights the benefits of the improved concept.
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. It will be understood that changes and modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill within the scope of the following claims. In particular, the present invention covers further embodiments with any combination of features from different embodiments described above and below. Additionally, statements made herein characterizing the invention refer to an embodiment of the invention and not necessarily all embodiments.
The terms used in the claims should be construed to have the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the foregoing description. For example, the use of the article “a” or “the” in introducing an element should not be interpreted as being exclusive of a plurality of elements. Likewise, the recitation of “or” should be interpreted as being inclusive, such that the recitation of “A or B” is not exclusive of “A and B,” unless it is clear from the context or the foregoing description that only one of A and B is intended. Further, the recitation of “at least one of A, B and C” should be interpreted as one or more of a group of elements consisting of A, B and C, and should not be interpreted as requiring at least one of each of the listed elements A, B and C, regardless of whether A, B and C are related as categories or otherwise. Moreover, the recitation of “A, B and/or C” or “at least one of A, B or C” should be interpreted as including any singular entity from the listed elements, e.g., A, any subset from the listed elements, e.g., A and B, or the entire list of elements A, B and C.
REFERENCE SIGNS
  • Tb base plate temperature
  • ton total on-state duration
  • toff total off-state duration
  • Ion on-state current
  • Von on-state voltage
  • Voff off-state voltage
  • Tj junction temperature
  • Tj-b temperature difference
  • PSW switching power loss
  • Pcond conduction power loss
  • Psh self-heating power dissipation
  • Pcc cross-coupling power dissipation
  • V1, V2 values for the TSEP
  • M_th thermal model
  • M_TSEP model
  • CALC calculation step
  • P_th thermal parameters
  • P_TSEP parameters
  • PC power converter
  • CU computing unit
  • MU measuring unit
  • C circuit
  • PS power semiconductor device
  • T tank
  • IM insulation agent
  • W1, W2, W3 windings of transformer or reactor

Claims (17)

The invention claimed is:
1. A method for determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system, the method comprising:
during operation of the electric or electronic system, directly measuring, with a measuring unit coupled with the system, one or more characteristic parameters of the system to determine a set of measured characteristic parameters, the set of measured characteristic parameters comprising a first subset and a second subset;
estimating the characteristic temperature using a pre-determined thermal model of the electric or electronic system and the first subset of the set of measured characteristic parameters, the thermal model comprising one or more thermal model parameters and being preconfigured to estimate at least one thermal characteristic of the system based on the first subset of the set of measured characteristic parameters and the thermal model parameters, the thermal characteristic comprising the characteristic temperature or the characteristic temperature being estimatable from the thermal characteristic;
predicting a first value for a temperature-sensitive electrical parameter (TSEP) using a pre-determined TSEP model and the estimated characteristic temperature, the TSEP model comprising one or more model parameters and being preconfigured to predict the first value of the TSEP based on the estimated characteristic temperature and the model parameters;
determining a second value for the temperature-sensitive electrical parameter (TSEP) as a function of the second subset of the set of measured characteristic parameters;
comparing the first value for the TSEP with the second value for the TSEP; and
adapting the thermal model or the TSEP model based on a result of the comparison between the first value for the TSEP and the second value for the TSEP, the adapting comprising updating at least one value of the thermal model parameters or the model parameters.
2. The method according to claim 1, comprising:
predicting a first further value for a further TSEP of the system using a pre-determined further TSEP model and the estimated characteristic temperature, the further TSEP being different than the TSEP, the further TSEP model comprising one or more further model parameters and being preconfigured to predict the first further value based on the further TSEP parameters and the estimated characteristic temperature;
determining a second further value for the further TSEP based on the second subset of the set of measured characteristic parameters;
comparing the first further value of the further TSEP with the second further value for the further TSEP;
wherein the adaption of the thermal model or the TSEP model is based on a result of the comparison of the first further value and the second further value for the further TSEP.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein:
the method further comprises repeating at least the steps of measuring the characteristic parameters, estimating the characteristic temperature, and predicting the first value for the TSEP until the difference between the first value and the second value is below a predetermined threshold;
for each repetition, the newly adapted thermal model is used instead of the thermal model or the newly adapted TSEP model is used instead of the TSEP model;
upon determining that the difference between the first value and the second value is below the predetermined threshold, the estimated characteristic temperature determined by the newly adapted thermal model is output as the determined characteristic temperature; and
the method comprises operating the electric or electronic system based on the determined characteristic temperature.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic temperature is a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic device comprised by the electric or electronic system.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein:
the electric or electronic system is a power electronic system; and
the characteristic temperature is a characteristic temperature of a power semiconductor device comprised by the electric or electronic system.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first subset of the set of measured characteristic parameters comprises at least one of the following parameters:
an on-state current of the power semiconductor device;
an on-state voltage of the power semiconductor device;
an off-state voltage of the power semiconductor device;
a total on-state duration of the power semiconductor device within a respective measurement interval;
a total off-state duration of the power semiconductor device within the respective measurement interval; or
a reference temperature of the power electronic system.
7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the second subset of the set of measured characteristic parameters comprises an on-state current or an on-state voltage of the power semiconductor device.
8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the TSEP is:
an on-state voltage of the power semiconductor device; or
a gate threshold voltage of the power semiconductor device; or
an internal gate resistance of the power semiconductor device; or
a characteristic switching parameter of the power semiconductor device.
9. The method according to claim 4, wherein the step of estimating the characteristic temperature comprises:
determining a power dissipation of the electric or electronic device; and
using the power dissipation as an input to the thermal model.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the power dissipation comprises a switching power dissipation or a conduction power dissipation of a power semiconductor device, the device comprising the power semiconductor device.
11. The method according to claim 4, wherein the step of estimating the characteristic temperature comprises
determining a cross-coupling power dissipation due to a cross-coupling between the device of the system and a further device of the system; and
using the cross-coupling power dissipation as an input to the thermal model.
12. An electric or electronic system, the electric or electronic system comprising:
an electric or electronic device;
a measuring unit coupled with the electric or electronic device and configured to directly measure one or more characteristic parameters of the electric or electronic device during operation of the electric or electronic system to determine a set of measured characteristic parameters, the set of measured characteristic parameters comprising a first subset and a second subset;
a processor configured to:
estimate a characteristic temperature of the electric or electronic device using a pre-determined thermal model of the electric or electronic system and the first subset of the set of measured parameters, the thermal model comprising one or more thermal model parameters and being preconfigured to estimate at least one thermal characteristic of the system based on the first subset of the set of measured characteristic parameters and the thermal model parameters, the thermal characteristic comprising the characteristic temperature or the characteristic temperature being estimatable from the thermal characteristic;
predict a first value for a temperature sensitive electrical parameter (TSEP) based on a pre-determined TSEP model and the estimated characteristic temperature, the TSEP model comprising one or more model parameters and being preconfigured to predict the first value of the TSEP based on the estimated characteristic temperature and the model parameters;
determine a second value for the temperature sensitive electrical parameter (TSEP) as a function of the second subset of the set of measured parameters;
compare the first value for the TSEP with the second value for the TSEP; and
adapt the thermal model or the TSEP model based on a result of the comparison between the first value for the TSEP and the second value for the TSEP, wherein adapting comprises updating at least one value of the thermal model parameters or the model parameters.
13. The electric or electronic system according to claim 12 comprising a power transformer or a reactor, wherein:
the electric or electronic device comprises a winding, the power transformer or the reactor comprising the winding; and
the characteristic temperature is a winding temperature of the winding.
14. The electric or electronic system according to claim 12 comprising a power electronic system, wherein:
the electric or electronic device comprises a power semiconductor device; and
the characteristic temperature is a junction temperature of the power semiconductor device.
15. The electric or electronic system according to claim 14, wherein
the power electronic system comprises a power converter comprising the power semiconductor device.
16. The method according to claim 5, wherein the characteristic temperature is a junction temperature of the power semiconductor device.
17. The method according to claim 8, wherein the on-state voltage of the power semiconductor device is at a predefined on-state current of the power semiconductor device; and the characteristic switching parameter of the power semiconductor device is at a predefined on-state voltage or off-state voltage or on-state current.
US17/276,862 2018-09-21 2019-09-19 Determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system Active US11320321B2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP18196070.9 2018-09-21
EP18196070 2018-09-21
EP18196070.9A EP3627121B1 (en) 2018-09-21 2018-09-21 Determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system
PCT/EP2019/075227 WO2020058435A1 (en) 2018-09-21 2019-09-19 Determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20210318179A1 US20210318179A1 (en) 2021-10-14
US11320321B2 true US11320321B2 (en) 2022-05-03

Family

ID=63678540

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US17/276,862 Active US11320321B2 (en) 2018-09-21 2019-09-19 Determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US11320321B2 (en)
EP (1) EP3627121B1 (en)
JP (1) JP7414812B2 (en)
KR (1) KR20210063376A (en)
CN (1) CN112752960B (en)
WO (1) WO2020058435A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN110874079B (en) * 2018-08-30 2023-07-14 Abb瑞士股份有限公司 Method and system for monitoring the condition of an electric drive
DE102020117588B4 (en) * 2020-07-03 2022-05-05 Leoni Kabel Gmbh Method for determining a dynamic temperature distribution over the cross-section and the length of a high-current cable
DE102020125533B3 (en) 2020-09-30 2021-12-30 Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen Gmbh Device and system for the indirect temperature determination of a power transformer
EP4099031A1 (en) * 2021-06-01 2022-12-07 Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH Method for monitoring an electrical or electronic system and a further system configured to perform the method

Citations (24)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4525763A (en) * 1983-11-30 1985-06-25 General Electric Company Apparatus and method to protect motors and to protect motor life
JPH0654572A (en) * 1992-07-31 1994-02-25 Omron Corp Heat protection apparatus for motor
US6006168A (en) * 1997-12-12 1999-12-21 Digital Equipment Corporation Thermal model for central processing unit
US6504772B2 (en) * 2000-01-26 2003-01-07 Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha Testing method and test apparatus in semiconductor apparatus
WO2003089919A1 (en) * 2002-04-22 2003-10-30 Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Device and method for controlling exhaust gas sensor temperature, and recording medium for exhaust gas sensor temperature control program
US20060250154A1 (en) * 2005-05-09 2006-11-09 Square D Company Electronic overload relay for mains-fed induction motors
US20080197228A1 (en) * 2007-02-17 2008-08-21 Christoph Mueller Method and apparatus for friction compensation
US20100030510A1 (en) 2008-08-04 2010-02-04 Ingo Koehler Method for determining the temperature of an electrical component with the aid of a temperature model
US20120110386A1 (en) * 2010-11-02 2012-05-03 Schneider Electric USA, Inc. Automated emergency power supply test using variable load bank stages
US8694180B2 (en) * 2010-01-29 2014-04-08 Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH Method and system for an optimized utilization of energy resources of an electrical system
WO2015110107A2 (en) * 2014-01-22 2015-07-30 Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG Method for determining a temperature of an electric motor
FR3018557A1 (en) * 2014-03-17 2015-09-18 Peugeot Citroen Automobiles Sa METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ESTIMATING THE REMAINING TIME OF ACTIVATION OF A STARTER BEFORE OVERHEATING
CN206760250U (en) * 2017-02-10 2017-12-19 宁波海角信息科技有限公司 Irrigation system
US20180017612A1 (en) 2015-02-03 2018-01-18 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Method For Determining A Deterioration Of Power Semiconductor Modules As Well As A Device And Circuit Arrangement
US20180101190A1 (en) * 2016-10-07 2018-04-12 Kilopass Technology, Inc. Voltage reference circuits with programmable temperature slope and independent offset control
US10001800B1 (en) * 2015-09-10 2018-06-19 Apple Inc. Systems and methods for determining temperatures of integrated circuits
US20190023252A1 (en) * 2017-07-24 2019-01-24 Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems Llc Brake adjustment detection using wss based thermal measurement
US20190050032A1 (en) * 2017-08-08 2019-02-14 GM Global Technology Operations LLC Methods and systems for configurable temperature control of controller processors
US20190339137A1 (en) * 2015-09-25 2019-11-07 Oracle International Corporation Adaptive method for calibrating multiple temperature sensors on a single semiconductor die
EP3591836A1 (en) * 2018-07-03 2020-01-08 OMRON Corporation Processing device
US20200099330A1 (en) * 2018-09-24 2020-03-26 Nxp Usa, Inc. System and method of estimating temperature of a power switch of a power converter without a dedicated sensor
US20200204061A1 (en) * 2018-12-20 2020-06-25 Renesas Electronics Corporation Control circuit, electric driving system, inverter system and method for controlling thereof
US10697836B2 (en) * 2016-12-15 2020-06-30 Hyundai Motor Company System and method for measuring junction temperature of power module
US10985694B2 (en) * 2016-07-15 2021-04-20 Enphase Energy, Inc. Method and apparatus for determining key performance photovoltaic characteristics using sensors from module-level power electronics

Family Cites Families (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2003018861A (en) 2001-06-27 2003-01-17 Nissan Motor Co Ltd Cooling controller of inverter
DE10132452B4 (en) * 2001-07-04 2005-07-28 Robert Bosch Gmbh Apparatus and method for measuring operating temperatures of an electrical component
JP2006329869A (en) 2005-05-27 2006-12-07 Yamatake Corp Temperature estimating device, temperature control device, temperature estimating method, temperature control method, temperature estimating program, and temperature control program
EP1973025B1 (en) * 2007-03-22 2009-11-25 Baumüller Nürnberg Gmbh Temperature control around power switches
JP5317881B2 (en) 2009-08-05 2013-10-16 三菱電機株式会社 Power converter and protection method for power converter
EP2568268A1 (en) * 2011-09-07 2013-03-13 kk-electronic a/s Method for estimating the temperature of a semiconductor chip
EP3049779B1 (en) * 2013-09-24 2017-11-15 ABB Schweiz AG Method and apparatus for determining an actual junction temperature of an igbt device
CN105825019B (en) * 2016-03-22 2018-10-23 三峡大学 A kind of insulated gate bipolar transistor IGBT module temperature derivation algorithm
KR102469942B1 (en) 2016-04-19 2022-11-22 엘에스일렉트릭(주) Apparatus for determining parameter when estimating temperature of switching element in inverter
CN106443400B (en) * 2016-09-14 2019-06-11 河北工业大学 A kind of electric-thermal of IGBT module-aging junction temperature computation model method for building up
CN106844972A (en) * 2017-01-22 2017-06-13 上海电力学院 Transformer Winding temperature flexible measurement method based on PSO SVR
CN107219016B (en) * 2017-05-24 2019-05-17 湖南大学 Calculate the method and system of IGBT module transient state junction temperature
CN108038795B (en) * 2017-12-05 2021-08-03 武汉大学 Transformer hot spot temperature inversion method and system based on streamline and support vector machine
CN108072821B (en) * 2017-12-06 2018-11-16 南京埃斯顿自动控制技术有限公司 The real-time online prediction technique of semiconductor power device dynamic junction temperature

Patent Citations (24)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4525763A (en) * 1983-11-30 1985-06-25 General Electric Company Apparatus and method to protect motors and to protect motor life
JPH0654572A (en) * 1992-07-31 1994-02-25 Omron Corp Heat protection apparatus for motor
US6006168A (en) * 1997-12-12 1999-12-21 Digital Equipment Corporation Thermal model for central processing unit
US6504772B2 (en) * 2000-01-26 2003-01-07 Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha Testing method and test apparatus in semiconductor apparatus
WO2003089919A1 (en) * 2002-04-22 2003-10-30 Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Device and method for controlling exhaust gas sensor temperature, and recording medium for exhaust gas sensor temperature control program
US20060250154A1 (en) * 2005-05-09 2006-11-09 Square D Company Electronic overload relay for mains-fed induction motors
US20080197228A1 (en) * 2007-02-17 2008-08-21 Christoph Mueller Method and apparatus for friction compensation
US20100030510A1 (en) 2008-08-04 2010-02-04 Ingo Koehler Method for determining the temperature of an electrical component with the aid of a temperature model
US8694180B2 (en) * 2010-01-29 2014-04-08 Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH Method and system for an optimized utilization of energy resources of an electrical system
US20120110386A1 (en) * 2010-11-02 2012-05-03 Schneider Electric USA, Inc. Automated emergency power supply test using variable load bank stages
WO2015110107A2 (en) * 2014-01-22 2015-07-30 Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG Method for determining a temperature of an electric motor
FR3018557A1 (en) * 2014-03-17 2015-09-18 Peugeot Citroen Automobiles Sa METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ESTIMATING THE REMAINING TIME OF ACTIVATION OF A STARTER BEFORE OVERHEATING
US20180017612A1 (en) 2015-02-03 2018-01-18 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Method For Determining A Deterioration Of Power Semiconductor Modules As Well As A Device And Circuit Arrangement
US10001800B1 (en) * 2015-09-10 2018-06-19 Apple Inc. Systems and methods for determining temperatures of integrated circuits
US20190339137A1 (en) * 2015-09-25 2019-11-07 Oracle International Corporation Adaptive method for calibrating multiple temperature sensors on a single semiconductor die
US10985694B2 (en) * 2016-07-15 2021-04-20 Enphase Energy, Inc. Method and apparatus for determining key performance photovoltaic characteristics using sensors from module-level power electronics
US20180101190A1 (en) * 2016-10-07 2018-04-12 Kilopass Technology, Inc. Voltage reference circuits with programmable temperature slope and independent offset control
US10697836B2 (en) * 2016-12-15 2020-06-30 Hyundai Motor Company System and method for measuring junction temperature of power module
CN206760250U (en) * 2017-02-10 2017-12-19 宁波海角信息科技有限公司 Irrigation system
US20190023252A1 (en) * 2017-07-24 2019-01-24 Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems Llc Brake adjustment detection using wss based thermal measurement
US20190050032A1 (en) * 2017-08-08 2019-02-14 GM Global Technology Operations LLC Methods and systems for configurable temperature control of controller processors
EP3591836A1 (en) * 2018-07-03 2020-01-08 OMRON Corporation Processing device
US20200099330A1 (en) * 2018-09-24 2020-03-26 Nxp Usa, Inc. System and method of estimating temperature of a power switch of a power converter without a dedicated sensor
US20200204061A1 (en) * 2018-12-20 2020-06-25 Renesas Electronics Corporation Control circuit, electric driving system, inverter system and method for controlling thereof

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
KR20210063376A (en) 2021-06-01
CN112752960B (en) 2024-05-17
EP3627121B1 (en) 2022-07-06
WO2020058435A1 (en) 2020-03-26
CN112752960A (en) 2021-05-04
JP7414812B2 (en) 2024-01-16
JP2022501989A (en) 2022-01-06
EP3627121A1 (en) 2020-03-25
US20210318179A1 (en) 2021-10-14

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US11320321B2 (en) Determining a characteristic temperature of an electric or electronic system
Ni et al. Overview of real-time lifetime prediction and extension for SiC power converters
EP3449572A1 (en) Junction temperature and current sensing
EP2933646B1 (en) Precision measurement of voltage drop across a semiconductor switching element
Koenig et al. On-line junction temperature measurement of CoolMOS devices
Yang et al. A method of junction temperature estimation for SiC power MOSFETs via turn-on saturation current measurement
Bahun et al. Estimation of insulated-gate bipolar transistor operating temperature: simulation and experiment
US20240106381A1 (en) Systems and methods for sensing temperature of inverter for electric vehicle
Rizzo et al. Intrusiveness of power device condition monitoring methods: Introducing figures of merit for condition monitoring
CN114829956A (en) Method and power unit for estimating parameters of a junction of a power semiconductor element
US11262248B2 (en) Analyzing an operation of a power semiconductor device
Ghimire Real time monitoring and wear out of power modules
KR101531018B1 (en) Failure prediction method of power semiconductor device
JPWO2020058435A5 (en)
US20230096094A1 (en) Analyzing an operation of a power semiconductor device
Soldati et al. Device-sensor assembly FEA modeling to support kalman-filter-based junction temperature monitoring
Weimer et al. Thermal impedance calibration for rapid and noninvasive calorimetric soft-switching loss characterization
HRP20110689A2 (en) Device and method for measuring silicon temperature and overheating protection of insulated gate bipolar power transistors
Asoodar et al. Accurate ON-State Resistance Extraction for Online Condition Monitoring of Semiconductor Devices Under Noisy Conditions
Yang Methods for resolving the challenges of degradation diagnosis for SiC power MOSFET
Herwig et al. Junction temperature estimation of SiC MOSFETs during inverter operation using switching times and on-state voltages
Boulzazen et al. PHM method for detecting degradation of GaN HEMT ON resistance, application to power converter
Asoodar et al. A Novel ON-State Resistance Estimation Technique for Online Condition Monitoring of Semiconductor Devices Under Noisy Conditions
Wu et al. Junction Temperature Measurement Method for SiC MOSFET Based on Charge Variation
WO2024069365A1 (en) Systems and methods for sensing temperature of inverter for electric vehicle

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: MASCHINENFABRIK REINHAUSEN GMBH, GERMANY

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:BRYANT, ANGUS;REEL/FRAME:055617/0228

Effective date: 20210303

FEPP Fee payment procedure

Free format text: ENTITY STATUS SET TO UNDISCOUNTED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: BIG.); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY

STPP Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general

Free format text: NON FINAL ACTION MAILED

STPP Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general

Free format text: RESPONSE TO NON-FINAL OFFICE ACTION ENTERED AND FORWARDED TO EXAMINER

STPP Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general

Free format text: FINAL REJECTION MAILED

STPP Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general

Free format text: RESPONSE AFTER FINAL ACTION FORWARDED TO EXAMINER

STPP Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general

Free format text: NOTICE OF ALLOWANCE MAILED -- APPLICATION RECEIVED IN OFFICE OF PUBLICATIONS

STPP Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general

Free format text: PUBLICATIONS -- ISSUE FEE PAYMENT VERIFIED

STCF Information on status: patent grant

Free format text: PATENTED CASE